


Take me to church

by dancey94



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Memory Palace, Murder Husbands, Palermo, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-03 19:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5303960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancey94/pseuds/dancey94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal and Will find themselves again in Florence</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take me to church

**Author's Note:**

> so i was gone for some time... i guess i need time and peace...  
> also - sorry this is so short :/

Silence. Quiet, whispered murmurs fill the space. It’s been raining for a few hours and the air feels harsh, electric, while the candles and people’s presence warm up the space in the building.

People are sitting in a few rows of single chairs, some of them pray and some of them just sit there, wallow in the atmosphere. The unity with God is enough for the worshippers.

“I remember meeting you here.” Echoes somewhat tired voice.

“There was a moment, a split second in the infinity of time, when I re-evaluated my decision to tell you about this place.”

Hannibal is sitting next to Will, not able to decide whether to stop his gaze at the altar or at Graham, who appears more magnificent in his whole person.

“You let me see you, know you. You revealed yourself.” Will observes.

“I feel deprived of any power when I’m with you.”

“I left you vulnerable. Does that frighten you?”

“The prospect of being understood by you compensates any fear and regret I may experience.” Hannibal explains with a shadow of a smile.

“So there is fear.”

Will has his legs crossed and shyly looks around. He observes people who are naïve enough to have faith in some absolute creature, a product of imagination really. He can’t remember when exactly he stopped believing but the concept seemed so ill and personal, he’d rather abandon it.

“People tend to be afraid of strong affection. It brings them joy and a constant pang of jealousy and worry.”

“Have you ever been jealous? Of me?” Will asks, confident and ready to hear the answer. Hannibal turns to look at the other man and appears to be searching for his answer in the blue of Will’s eyes. “I know you were worried. Many times. I know you were worried I might forget you, abandon any thought about you.”

“Do you believe you could ever truly forget me?”

“I once hoped to.”

There is a pause. A priest emerges and approaches the altar. He takes something from it, smooths the creases on the cloth and leaves.

“Do you think we…” Will starts but quickly abandons his thought. Maybe it’s not a good time to have a conversation he has in mind. People say strange things in strong emotions.

Hannibal gently brushes his fingers against Will’s, indicating for the man to finish the question.

“Do you think we’d get married if we weren’t wanted men?”

There are all sorts of implications in the question and Lecter can read them all. He files the question as ‘remarkable, to reconsider’ and places it in his store, deep in his memory palace. There is no one good and easy answer to that.

“You touch upon a different non-existent universe.”

“A universe where Abigail is alive.” Will adds, fighting tears but giving in to the pain in his chest.

“A universe neither of us are killers.”

“Is Mischa alive, too?”

The question make Hannibal’s hands tremble. One can never get rid of the sorrow if it’s already there. _If Mischa was alive_ …

“She’s not.” Hannibal didn’t kill her. There is no way of rescuing her. In this or any other universe. But maybe if she was alive, Lecter would have never met Will. Hannibal doesn’t want to find a formula to reverse the time anymore. He doesn’t want a world without his mongoose in it. There is a pang of shame he feels at the thought that he replaced Mischa with Will, that he sold out his own little sister. Maybe that’s just a fact he has to accept – that his only family now is Will.

“I left her here.” Will says, interrupting Hannibal’s train of thought. “Abigail. We split here. I had to let her go in order to pursue you.”

There is an understandable analogy between Mischa and Abigail Hobbs, which traces a path in Will’s mind.

“I hope to see her here one day.” Hannibal comments, paying attention to a woman lighting a candle somewhere behind Will. It’s getting dark outside and the candles make the altar look otherworldly. The atmosphere and tension is palpable. Hannibal stands up and approaches the place where people light candles. He licks his two fingertips and presses against one wick to put it out. Here’s to Mischa. To Abigail. Here’s to their new life.

Hannibal feels Will’s breath on his neck and smiles.

“Let’s leave her here. We will always have this place. I want to build more rooms. Come.” Will whispers on Lecter’s neck and turns to the door leading to the catacombs. Hannibal still remembers Will’s smell and the sound of his footsteps there, the moment when he sensed Will down there and when Graham said he forgave him. They were playing this game for so long, it felt as if it was almost expected of them to keep playing, keep chasing, circling each other.

Hannibal follows Will to the catacombs, close, not to lose track of the man before him. They go forward, dance around the skulls and candles. Finally, after a few moments, Will stops in a dark corner and waits for Hannibal to bump on him.

“You heard me, didn’t you?” Graham asks. “When I said I forgave you.”

“I did.” Hannibal answers and takes a step towards Will.

“And then you left.” Will stands still as if hoping this method would prevent the predator from noticing him.

“Was there anything else you wanted to say then?” Another step forward.

“No. Nothing more to _say_. But had you stayed… had you revealed yourself…”

Will isn’t allowed to finish. Hannibal stands right in front of him; so close their chests press against each other. Will breathes in shakily and feels Hannibal’s breath caressing the skin on his nose and cheeks.

“This is the most acceptable way our relationship progressed.” Hannibal observes and kisses Will. “This wouldn’t have happened then.”


End file.
